The drive from Cancun International Airport (CUN) to Tulum is about 90 minutes, and it's an easy one: Highway 307 south, a wide two-lane road that runs through Playa del Carmen and doesn't ask much of you. Our house is 90 miles south of Cancun, at Km 8.7 on the Tulum-Boca Paila beach road, so the real question isn't the route. It's how much of the trip you want to handle yourself after a flight.
Here's how we see the four options, and which one we'd pick in your shoes.
The short version
A private transfer is what we'd do. It's the only option that takes you door to door without a change of vehicle, and it's the one we can set up for you. That's an easy one to arrange: ask us any time between 30 days and 24 hours before you arrive, send your flight details, and someone will be waiting when you come out.
If you're watching the budget, the ADO bus is the cheapest way down the coast, but it ends in Tulum town, not on the beach road, so you'll finish the trip by taxi. Shuttles sit in between and are booked online, directly with the shuttle company rather than through us. A rental car makes sense if you plan to spend your days driving to Coba, Valladolid or Chichen Itza.
Private transfer: what to expect
You get a car and a driver, and the next stop is our front gate. No terminal to find, no bags to move twice. Because we book it, the driver already knows where we are, which matters more than it sounds: the beach road is long, and we sit a little further down from the main strip.
Book it between 30 days and 24 hours before you land. Inside 24 hours, write to us anyway and we'll see what we can do, but we can't promise it.
ADO bus: what to expect
ADO is the regional bus company that runs from Cancun airport down the coast. Travel guides put the whole trip from the airport to Tulum at about two hours, and they suggest buying your ticket at least a day ahead, more so around holidays. The bus drops you in Tulum town. From there you'll want a taxi to the beach road. Agree the fare before you get in, and keep some pesos on you: Tulum still runs mostly on cash.
Driving yourself
If you rent a car, the route is simple. Take the 307 southbound from Cancun airport for about 90 minutes to Tulum. When you enter town, look for a four-way intersection with the Super Aki supermarket on your right. Turn left (east) toward the beach road, signposted "To Boca Paila", and drive south for about 6 km. We're just past Lula Hotel Tulum, at Tulum Boca Paila Km 8.7. Watch for our sign; it comes up after the busiest part of the strip.
Flying into Tulum airport instead
Tulum International Airport (TQO) is the closer option, about 30 miles from us. From TQO you take Carretera Federal 307 to Tulum Pueblo, then follow the signs for the Tulum Hotel Zone. We're a bit further down from the main strip, just past Sanara, at Km 8.7. We arrange private transfers from Tulum airport the same way we do from Cancun.
Which airport you use usually comes down to the flights you can get. Cancun has more of them; Tulum saves you the longer drive. Either way, tell us when you land and we'll handle the rest. No rush. We'll be here.